Aleksey Reznikov about the morning of February 24/Channel 24
Alexey Reznikov spoke about the morning of February 24th. Valery Zaluzhny was the first to call him with the words: “It has begun, strikes on air defense and radar. Invasion.”
Reznikov spent the first three weeks of the war in the circle of his main advisers. The Minister of Defense spoke about this on June 12.
“We woke up every morning in a new bed”
His war began with a call at 4 am from Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valeriy Zaluzhny and a laconic message: “It has begun. Attacks on air defense and radar. Invasion,” the message says.
A group of advisers with the president was armed with automatic rifles. She moved through the secret locations of the capital. “One of the most uncomfortable things was waking up every morning in a new bed,” says Reznikov.
This tactic was part of the protocols developed in top-secret pre-invasion planning. Publicly, the president and secretary of defense downplayed the threat of war. They often prepared for the worst. It is only now that Reznikov can reveal some details.
The main ploy was to declare “regular” military exercises as a reflection of Russian and Belarusian exercises in the first weeks of February. It helped to be ready from the very beginning of the war.
This was the reason that allowed us to secretly withdraw our military units from permanent bases. When the strikes began, our guys were not all together in one place, but were ready with weapons, ammunition and scattered around the country. – said the Minister of Defense.
Ukrainians were preparing. They hid the air defense systems and attack aircraft, replacing them with mock-ups. They passed a new law on territorial defense in order to arm about 100,000 civilians in three days.
People organized themselves so clearly that the Russians definitely did not expect this. The key moment was the decision of Volodymyr Zelensky to stay in Kyiv. “Everyone expected the president to lead and form a government in exile. But Zelensky had his own script,” adds Reznikov.
Reznikov on France and Germany
The defense minister is trying to be polite about cracks in the western alliance. Fatigue is a “natural psychological response to stress”. However, sometimes he is disappointed.
According to him, Ukraine's allies talk more about human rights and freedom than they defend them. “The bureaucracy and pragmatism of the West proved to be much stronger than its values,” says Reznikov.
The Minister of Defense says that for France and Germany, Ukraine is an annoying obstacle to a comfortable life. However, he restrains emotions during conversations with colleagues in Paris and Berlin.
I am professionally trained as a lawyer, so yes. But later, unofficially, I can say a few rather well-chosen words, Reznikov shares.
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